§12.560Continuo pugnae adcendit maioris imago: §12.561Mnesthea Sergestumque vocat fortemque Serestum §12.562ductores tumulumque capit, quo cetera Teucrum §12.563concurrit legio nec scuta aut spicula densi §12.564deponunt.
Straightway the image of a greater battle inflames his mind: He calls Mnestheus and Sergestus and brave Serestus, the leaders, and takes a mound, where the rest of the Trojans' legion rushes together, nor do they, crowded close, lay down their shields or spears.
Celso medius stans aggere fatur: §12.565Nequa meis esto dictis mora; Iuppiter hac stat, §12.566neu quis ob inceptum subitum mihi segnior ito.
Standing in their midst on the high mound, he speaks: "Let there be no delay to my words; Jupiter stands on this side, nor let anyone advance more slowly for me because of this sudden enterprise.
§12.567Urbem hodie, causam belli, regna ipsa Latini, §12.568ni frenum accipere et victi parere fatentur, §12.569eruam et aequa solo fumantia culmina ponam.
Today I will overthrow the city, the cause of the war, the very kingdom of Latinus, unless they consent to receive the yoke and, conquered, to obey, and lay its smoking rooftops level with the ground.
§12.570Scilicet exspectem, libeat dum proelia Turno §12.571nostra pati rursusque velit concurrere victus?
Am I indeed to wait until it pleases Turnus to endure our battle and, though conquered, he wishes to clash again?
§12.572Hoc caput, O cives, haec belli summa nefandi: §12.573ferte faces propere foedusque reposcite flammis. §12.574Dixerat, atque animis pariter certantibus omnes §12.575dant cuneum densaque ad muros mole feruntur.
This is the head, O citizens, this the sum of this unspeakable war: bring torches quickly, and demand the treaty back with flames." He had spoken, and with minds equally striving they all form a wedge and are carried in a dense mass to the walls.
§12.576Scalae improviso subitusque apparuit ignis.
Ladders suddenly and unexpected fire appeared.
§12.577Discurrunt alii ad portas primosque trucidant, §12.578ferrum alii torquent et obumbrant aethera telis.
Some run to the gates and slaughter the first they meet, others hurl steel and darken the sky with weapons.
§12.579Ipse inter primos dextram sub moenia tendit §12.580Aeneas magnaque incusat voce Latinum §12.581testaturque deos, iterum se ad proelia cogi, §12.582bis iam Italos hostis, haec altera foedera rumpi.
Aeneas himself among the foremost stretches out his right hand beneath the walls, and in a loud voice accuses Latinus, and calls the gods to witness that he is forced into battle again, that the Italians are now twice enemies, and that this second treaty is broken.
§12.583Exoritur trepidos inter discordia civis: §12.584urbem alii reserare iubent et pandere portas §12.585Dardanidis ipsumque trahunt in moenia regem, §12.586arma ferunt alii et pergunt defendere muros.
Discord arises among the trembling citizens: some order the city to be opened and the gates thrown wide to the Trojans, and drag the king himself to the walls, others bring arms and hasten to defend the walls.
§12.587Inclusas ut cum latebroso in pumice pastor §12.588vestigavit apes fumoque implevit amaro: §12.589illae intus trepidae rerum per cerea castra §12.590discurrunt magnisque acuunt stridoribus iras; §12.591volvitur ater odor tectis, tum murmure caeco §12.592intus saxa sonant, vacuas it fumus ad auras.
As when a shepherd has tracked bees enclosed within a porous pumice and filled them with bitter smoke: they inside, alarmed for their safety, through their waxen camp run about and with loud buzzing sharpen their wrath; a black stench rolls through their dwellings, then with a blind murmur the rocks resound within, and smoke goes into the empty air.
This misfortune also befell the weary Latins, which shook the entire city to its depths with grief.
§12.595Regina ut tectis venientem prospicit hostem, §12.596incessi muros, ignis ad tecta volare, §12.597nusquam acies contra Rutulas, nulla agmina Turni: §12.598infelix pugnae iuvenem in certamine credit §12.599exstinctum et, subito mentem turbata dolore, §12.600se causam clamat crimenque caputque malorum, §12.601multaque per maestum demens effata furorem §12.602purpureos moritura manu discindit amictus §12.603et nodum informis leti trabe nectit ab alta.
When the queen from the palace beholds the enemy coming, the walls attacked, the fire flying to the roofs, nowhere any Rutulian lines to oppose, no columns of Turnus: the unhappy woman believes the youth has perished in the clash of battle, and, her mind suddenly troubled by sudden grief, she cries out that she is the cause, the guilty one, and the source of evils, and saying many things in her sad mad frenzy, resolved to die she tears her purple robes with her hand and ties the noose of an unsightly death from a high beam.
§12.604Quam cladem miserae postquam accepere Latinae, §12.605filia prima manu flavos Lavinia crinis §12.606et roseas laniata genas, tum cetera circum §12.607turba furit: resonant late plangoribus aedes.
After the wretched Latin women received this disaster, first her daughter Lavinia, tearing her golden hair and roseate cheeks, then the rest of the crowd around rages: the palace resounds far and wide with lamentations.
§12.608Hinc totam infelix volgatur fama per urbem.
From here the unhappy rumor is spread through the whole city.
§12.609Demittunt mentes; it scissa veste Latinus, §12.610coniugis attonitus fatis urbisque ruina, §12.611canitiem immundo perfusam pulvere turpans.
They cast down their minds; Latinus goes with torn garment, dazed by the fate of his wife and the ruin of the city, defiling his grey hair, covered with filthy dust.
§12.614Interea extremo bellator in aequore Turnus §12.615palantis sequitur paucos iam segnior atque §12.616iam minus atque minus successu laetus equorum
Meanwhile, the warrior Turnus on the edge of the plain pursues a few stragglers, now more sluggish and now less and less joyful in the success of his horses.
§12.617attulit hunc illi caecis terroribus aura §12.618commixtum clamorem adrectasque impulit aures §12.619confusae sonus urbis et inlaetabile murmur.
The breeze brought him this clamor mixed with blind terrors, and struck his strained ears with the sound of the confused city and its joyless murmur.
§12.620Ei mihi! Quid tanto turbantur moenia luctu?
"Alas for me! Why are the walls disturbed by so great a grief?
§12.621Quisve ruit tantus diversa clamor ab urbe? §12.622Sic ait adductisque amens subsistit habenis.
Or what so great a clamor rushes from the distant city?" So he speaks, and distracted, halts with drawn-in reins.
§12.623Atque huic, in faciem soror ut conversa Metisci §12.624aurigae currumque et equos et lora regebat, §12.625talibus occurrit dictis:
Hac, Turne, sequamur §12.626Troiugenas, qua prima viam victoria pandit; §12.627sunt alii, qui tecta manu defendere possint.
And to him his sister, as she, changed into the form of his charioteer Metiscus, was ruling the chariot and horses and reins, meets him with such words: "This way, Turnus, let us pursue the sons of Troy, where victory first opens a way; there are others who can defend the dwellings with their hands.
Aeneas falls upon the Italians and joins battle: let us also send cruel deaths to the Trojans with our hand.
§12.630Nec numero inferior pugnae nec honore recedes. §12.631Turnus ad haec: §12.632O soror, et dudum adgnovi, cum prima per artem §12.633foedera turbasti teque haec in bella dedisti, §12.634et nunc nequiquam fallis dea.
Neither inferior in the number of the slain nor in the honor of battle shall you withdraw." Turnus to this: "O sister, both long ago I recognized you, when first through guile you disturbed the treaty and threw yourself into this war, and now in vain you try to deceive me, though a goddess.
Sed quis Olympo §12.635demissam tantos voluit te ferre labores?
But who wished you sent down from Olympus to bear such great labors?
§12.636An fratris miseri letum ut crudele videres?
Was it that you might see the cruel death of your wretched brother?
§12.637Nam quid ago? Aut quae iam spondet Fortuna salutem?
For what can I do? Or what Fortune now promises safety?